Automatic slack adjuster



Jan. 19, 1932.. H. E. ANDERSON AUTQMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER Filed Oct. 16, 1930 A N Ill: U *N 5; A H 3 Q 1 & a i Wm 5 \N INVENTOR I 7%TT9RNEY Patentedlan. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES,

PATENT GFFICE HARLEY E. ANDERSON, or KANSAS CITY, fiaissonnr, ASSIGNOR To eus'rm-isAoolv MANUFACTURING 00., or KANsAs CITY, mssouar, A CORPQRATION or MISSOURI AUTOMATIC annex ADJUSTER Application filed Sctober 16, 1930. Serial No. 489,074.-

My invent-ion relates to that class of slack adjusters disclosed in my United States Patent No. 1,772,433, in which I provide a construction which will automatically take up the slack in a brake rigging, thereby maintaining the piston travel at the required distance, and which will atthe same time hold the cylinder and floating levers at a right angle position during the life of the brake shoes, regardless of the amount of theirwear. This is accomplished through the medium of a rack combined with spring-actuated dogs, mounted in a housing and an auxiliary housing respectively, the cylinder or floating lever I being pivotally attached to the housing, a

permanent stop bracket being secured to the car body so as to actuate the parts of the adjuster. V

My present invention has for its object,'to provide for an improved location of this bracket, in order that a more perfect opera tion of the slack adjuster may be obtained.

A concrete embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, to be considered as a part of this specification, in which Fig. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view of a portion of a brake rigging provided with my li'llPIOVQCl constructlon; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of the slack adjuster.

'- slack adjuster.

able manner.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the entlre description.

. Asshown in the drawings, the air cylinder 1 has its piston rod 2 connectedto one end of a cylinder lever 3. This lever 3 is connccted, by means of a link 4, to a floating lever 5. The ends of these levers 3 and 5 are pivotally connected to the housing 6 of my Inasmuch as the construction is identical for both levers, I shall describe only one, and the term cylinder or floating may be understood as applied to either lever interchangeably.

In the housing 6 I mount a dog 7, which is adapted to engage the teeth 8 of a rack 9, which is secured to the top rod in any suit- As shown, the rack 9 is tubular, and the top rod 10 is threaded into it, a

lock nut 11 serving tohold it in position.

normallyiapart. In order to insure an even movement of the auxiliary housing 14 and 1 avoid any tendency to bind, I form an abutment 18 on the auxiliary housing 14, which is directly in line with the lever 5. By locating this abutment 18 in the plane of the lever it is obvious that the push will be in a per ,t'ectly straight line without the .least tendency to buckle or bind.

The operation is similar to my patent, asf

' when the brake shoes wear and there is slack in the brake rigging, this willcause a lengthening of the top rods, which will cause the abutment 18 to contact the permanent stop 19. lhis will telescope the sleeve into the cylindrical chamber 16, compressing the coil spring 17. This movement will depress the dog in the auxiliary housing 14, advancing it one or more teeth 8, as may be required to take up the excess length of the top rod 10. Upon the release of the brakes the slack adjuster will move away from the permanent stop 19, and the coil spring 17 will advance the housing 6 to a distance corresponding to I the number of teeth 8 taken up by the dog in the auxiliary housing 14, and the dog will again be in normal position as shown,

Having described my invention, what I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with a brake rigging having cylinder levers, of an automatic slack.

adjuster, a pivot whichsecures said cylinder lever to said adjuster, said adjuster having an abutment thereon in the plane of the cylinder lever and also in a line parallel to the top rod and passing through the pivot and a permanent stop against which said abutment contacts whereby a straight line push is obtained. V j

2. The combination with a brake rigging having cylinder levers, of an automatic slack 1 adjuster, a pivot which secures said cylinder lever to said adjuster, said adjuster having an abutment thereon in the plane of the cylinder lever and also in a line parallel to the top rod and passing through the pivot and a permanent stop adapted to contact said abutment at a predetermined time.

3. The combination, with a brake rigging having cylinder and floating levers and automatic slack adjusters comprising a housing, a rack secured to the top rod and slidable in said housing, an auxiliary housing slidable in said. housing, dogs in said housing which engage the teeth of said rack, and means to hold said housing and auxiliary housing normally apart, a pivot which connects said slack adjuster to said cylinder lever, an abutment thereon in the plane of the cylinder lever and also in a line parallel to the top rod and passing through the pivot and a permanent stop against which said abutment contacts Whereby a straight line push is obtained;

&. The combination with an automatic slack adjuster mounted on a top rod, of a cylinder lever, a pivot which secures said slack adjuster to said lever, means to actuate said slack adjuster, said means being mounted in the plane of the lever and also in a line parallel to the top rod. and passing through said pivot.

HARLEY E. ANDERSON. 

